Father of Prius hybrid set to become Toyota chairman: execs

SummaryOne of the knowledgeable company executives described Uchiyamada's promotion as being a "highly anticipated" move.

as executive vice president in 2005.

Toyota, the world's largest car maker by volume sales, blazed a trail for mass producing quality cars, but tripped up by expanding too fast into the U.S. muscular SUV and truck market at a time when the yen was rising. It was also hit by a reputation-denting mass recall and severe supply problems after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It has since rebounded, helped by a relentless cost-paring drive, but remains under pressure from rivals such as Volkswagen AG and Hyundai Motor Co.

Uchiyamada graduated from Nagoya University with a degree in applied physics in 1969 and joined Toyota a month later.